Friday, July 29, 2011

Back in the spring several friends and I took a tour of New Braunfels Historic homes and gardens…

We started at the home of Ferdinand Lindheimer, the Father of Texas Botany…his names shows up in the names of many native Texas plants he helped to identify. This sweet little snowdrops type naturalized bulb was growing there…

In fact, they were blooming in the lawns of many of the old homes we visited that day, but nobody could tell us the name for sure…At one of the historic homes, we went across the street to visit with with a neighbor, Mr. Neely, whose lawns we had admired for years…we joked with him that we were his yard stalkers because we always drove past his home to see what was blooming and how his latest projects were progressing. The conversation turned to plants and guess what he offered?…A start of the mystery bulbs…from the lawn of the semi-abandoned house next door to his yard.

Now, isn’t that just the way it is with gardeners? Get a shovel and dig up plants to share…even with stalkers…How PINK is that? Can’t wait until next spring when mine come up…I’ll post pictures in 2012 as Beverly moves us into a fourth year of Pink Saturdays…And as we made our way from one historic stop to the next, I stopped to snap a picture of a local “landmark”…the Hoity Toit Beer Joint…

Don’t you just love it??? Texas now has a law against open containers, but this sign goes way, way back…I had my camera with me and I had been wanting to get a picture of this wonderful example of our local color before it is gone from the landscape…

I’ve never been inside, but I went to a parking lot tag sale there once and from the smell of things, they don’t heed the Surgeon General’s warning on cigarette packs…If those tobacco stained walls could talk…Well, enough of this digression, thanks for stopping by today…Head back to Beverly’s How Sweet the Sound to put you in the Pink.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Several years ago my friend Nancy, My Crafty Little Page gave the Ya-Yas (our little group of high school friends and sisters) each one of these little lady vases.

Mine holds a bouquet of pink flowers and since she has a vase beside her, she holds my make up brushes. I see her every morning and think of sweet Nancy. She was my only Lady Vase until last year when I found this one in Wimberley…She lives in the guest house on my work table…

She is much larger than my dressing table lady and her demeanor seems rather bossy and “take charge” so she has been given the job of holding my crochet hooks…

She is the only lady on the work table and I think she likes it that way. She wears a pretty cold painted blue apron with a pink flower.

She even has pink slippers…

Yesterday I was in the Downtowner Antique Mall here in New Braunfels when I found a third lady vase…

She hasn’t been assigned a job yet while I decide what would be ideal for her little square basket…She has such a surprised look on her face. I mean. those eyebrows are way up in the middle of her forehead. Maybe she heard the weatherman announce the heat index…Maybe it’s a worried look…

She is probably afraid that I’ll put her out on the patio or in the screened porch where it’s in triple digits … I’ve heard that three of anything makes a collection, so I guess I have a collection of lady vases…here they are posed for a family picture…

Have a Pink Week, stay indoors with a cold drink while you visit Beverly and the assembled guests at How Sweet the Sound. Thanks for stopping by to visit my newest collection.

Friday, July 15, 2011

I’ve always kept a bright Pink Piggy Bank in the laundry room for spare change left in pockets…well, when my boys left home, the poor piggy started going hungry so I started saving all my dimes (my favorite coin since childhood…doesn’t every one have a favorite coin?)…Well, all those dimes over the last few years have started adding up and Miss Piggy had really put on the weight…I decided to empty her and see what my ten cent stash would yield…

I filled my When Pigs Fly Tervis Tumbler with, what else?, Pink lemonade and started counting…

I used my new digital coin counter that was a door prize at our family reunion…I was the butt of several jokes first, because I picked that to be my prize and then my family was afraid I would not be able to find it since it is camouflage… what I put up with…well, who’s laughing now?..that’s right One hundred and Eighty Dollars and still going!

I dumped out more coins and kept counting…

Miss Piggy is feeling better already…look at that smile!!! Now imagine my smile…

That’s right, Two Hundred Dollars…and still counting!!! and still smiling!!!

The grand total was Two Hundred and Fifty-Two Dollars!!! I’ll take it to the bank and convert my little nest egg to less cumbersome cash.

Then I think I’ll buy something for the lawn…something Pink, of course, something like another Pink Crepe Myrtle garden… I can certainly afford three or four good sized plants with my “free money”.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

I’ve been out early this Pink Saturday…finishing a little garden project under the Pink Crepe Myrtle bed beside our kitchen door. I’ll post pictures when the groups of Agapanthus look more settled in. It’s too hot for yard work now…time to come inside for iced tea. I tried to coax Birdie, my patio pet, into joining us for a dip in the river…Our dog, LadyBird Johnson, had just gone swimming without permission and it seemed only fair to see if Birdie also wanted to cool her little bird feet in the Guadalupe River…Here she is ready to go…very excited because she never gets to go anywhere except the screened porch.

She’s got her sunshades and straw hat…

Her beach towel is over her wing…

Her Kindle is in her tote…

She’s waiting for me to slather her with sunscreen while I said I had to quickly post Pink Saturday greetings. She wanted to know what’s Pink Saturday? Well, when I explained how I find pretty Pinkness to share each week, she had some seriously ruffled feathers!!! Why hadn’t she been featured before? Wasn’t her pink ”pink enough” ? Was I ashamed of her since she had put on an extra feather or two? What a Diva!!! So long, Birdie! I’m ready to visit the Pink posts and check in on ladies with pretty thoughts and pictures to share…first stop, Beverly, at How Sweet the Sound. http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Friday, July 1, 2011

Today I’m celebrating out nation’s birthday…with a few barnyard friends ready to sing in the holiday weekend…

This little shelf sitter critter grouping was ordered a few years ago from one of Mother’s “Gadget catalogs”…you know the ones…Miles Kimbell…Garol Wright…Colletions…once you get on their mailing list, you’re in it for life. She was always finding cute little kitchen timers, plastic storage organizers, weird cleaning tools, seasonal ice trays…you get the idea. Some things caused my sisters and me to roll our eyes…like the fold-up red plastic underwear and panty hose drying rack with dozens of little plastic clothes pins to hang out dainty hand laundry…but this little set was one of her better purchases. A whole barnyard of patriotic clad critters celebrating our Red White and Blue holiday.

The duck is my favorite…head thrown back, singing My Country Tis of Thee for all she’s worth!

The rooster is chiming in…and the cow and the cat seem happy to be celebrating their favorite holiday…

And Miss piggy is pretty dressed up in her striped mini-skirt…or is it a skirted bathing suit? They wish you a Happy July Fourth however you are celebrating it. Start the weekend off with our lovely Pink Saturday Hostess Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ See who is sharing special holiday posts

Thanks so much for stopping by. Celebrate our Freedom…Pray for our Troops…and Pray for Peace.

Limping Deer and the Twins

Show and Tell Sunday June 15

Milk Glass Collection

Who knew that a 25 cent flea market find would unleash such a collecting frenzy? I never pay more than a dollar unless it's a really nice piece. They are great grouped with a single daisy in each.

These used to be inexpensive florist vases in the 50's and 60's. Everyone's Grandmother had bunches.

Mexicana Dishes

My sister found these for me at Bussy's Flea Market in San Antonio, Texas. I had seen pictures in her Fiesta reference book. Mexicana was also made by Homer Laughlin in the 30's. I had been looking for several years without ever finding even a single piece when she found the set...with a promise to hold it for us, she came running to find me and I bought the entire set...60+ pieces for $50.

Mexicana

I've added to the set over the years, but the price and experience will never match that first amazing find.

Vintage Kitchen Hutch

When my hubby found this hutch it was Pepto pink and I was not 100% sure about it. But with a new red back and fresh white paint and refurbished hardware, it became one of my favorite pieces.

Nancy made me save the vine

The vine and flowers painted on the inside were in such bad shape that I was ready to remove it all. Nancy -My Crafty Little Page convinced me to keep it and after some touch-up work, I'm glad I listened to her. My husband restores vintage Cushman motorscooters and he tries to make everything "mint" condition again. The Shabby Chic movement came along just in time to keep me from making some terrible mistakes.